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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. field — a subject
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. field — farmland
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. kick — in football
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com